


Into The Fire

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Challenge: Other, First Times, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 03:19:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/793429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another Jim and Blair have different jobs. Jim and Blair share office space.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into The Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Indigocat for betaing. 

## Into The Fire

by Jennifer Brown-Chartier

Author's disclaimer: They don't belong to me. They belong to a bunch of people who have a lot more money than I do. 

* * *

"Dean Wagner, Doctor Blair Sandburg is here to see you," his secretary called into the intercom. 

"Please send him in Jackie," the Dean replied pushing his paperwork aside. 

A few seconds later, a man with long curly brown hair and deep blue eyes walked in. He was wearing a white shirt with a brightly colored vest, khaki pants and hiking boots. Doctor Blair Sandburg was Mount Rainier's University newest teacher in the Anthropology Department. He had done a lot for a man who was only thirty years old. He had led several expeditions, wrote countless articles and was considered an excellent teacher by many of his students. Dean Wagner had been stunned when Doctor Sandburg had contacted him when he had heard that a teaching position was opening in Rainier's Anthropology Department. Doctor Sandburg had been offered tenure the next day. 

"Well Blair, I must say it is a pleasure meeting you again," Dean Andrew Wagner commented at the young man sitting across from his desk. "Did you have a nice drive?" 

Doctor Blair Sandburg gave the elder man a smile has he settled back in his chair. "I had a great time driving from Chicago. Got lost a few times, but I made it here in one piece." 

"Yes, I believe Doctor Stoddard called you directional challenged on more than one occasion," the Dean replied with a twinkle in his eye. 

"Make one wrong turn and they never let you forget," Blair muttered, flushing slightly. His ability to get lost was legendarily in academic circles. His mother had seriously thought about getting him a global tracker the next time he went on an expedition. 

They chatted for while about fellow colleagues before turning to school matters. 

"I'm sorry we can't give you your own office right now. We were going to give you Doctor Hammond old office but the wing is closed for repairs right now and won't be reopened until next January," said the Dean apologetically. "I hope you don't mind sharing." 

Blair waved off the apology with a smile. "As long as it's not a closet I don't care. Who am I sharing with?" 

"Jim Ellison. He teaches modern military history and political science," the Dean said getting up. "Come, I'll show your new office." 

Blair frowned at the name as he followed the Dean across the huge campus. The Dean pointing out the various building that housed several faculties and several students called out greeting to the Dean and Blair received several looks. Hargrove Hall was an ivy covered building facing a huge water fountain and located right next to the library. The Dean fumbled with a key and opened the door to Blair's new office. 

"Oh my God," Blair muttered looking at the room. It was clean, so clean in fact Blair was convinced he could eat off the floor. Everything was lined up in precise angles. There was hardly any decoration in the room. A lone potted cactus sat on a bare desk and there were two small pictures on the wall: an eagle in flight and a photo of several men in combat gear sitting on a truck in the desert. A coffee machine, unplugged, sat on a table next to empty and unplugged fridge. The computer and printer was covered by a dust protector. The bookcase was stuffed with books. Blair gave the books a quick look over. Jane's Books of Ships, Weapons of the Gulf War, D-Day, Vimy Ridge and so forth. 

The Dean gave him a rueful look. "Jim looks to keep his office tidy." 

"No kidding," Blair said stopping in the center of the room, thinking about his old office in Chicago that used to be covered papers, books and artifacts. The archaeology department use to joke that Blair's office was a perfect for an excavation site, because you never knew what you could find. 

"Your crates arrived yesterday and I'll have someone bring them here tomorrow morning, same thing with your desk and chair," Andrew said. 

Blair nodded has he stared at the picture of the men in combat gear. He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ellison. He was that guy who wrote that book, Into the Fire, right? About a group of soldiers who got dropped behind enemy lines during The Persian Gulf War, right?" 

"Yes, that's him." 

"I read that book. I'm amazed that they managed to survive and complete their mission," Blair said as he remembered the book. A group of US Army Rangers had been dropped behind the Iraqi line on a Search and Destroy mission. Instead, they had been dropped into a combat zone due to bad intelligence. They had evaded half the Iraqi army while they carried out their mission before being captured. The group had spent two weeks in Baghdad being interrogated and tortured by senior Iraqi officials before being released to the International Red Cross. Five members of his team had died: three in the landing zone and two when they had been captured. 

After resigning his commission, Jim Ellison had written a tell all book squarely placing the blame on the US government for faulty intelligence. He had somehow come up with the documents stating that senior US army officials knew their drop would put them in a combat zone and did nothing to stop it. The deceased families sued the government and several senior officers had been court marshaled. Into The Fire was made into a movie of the week starring Richard Burgi who was currently starring in One West Waikiki. The movie had scored high rating. 

"I didn't know he was a teacher," Blair commented, still staring at the picture. The picture of the men was the front cover of Ellison's book. "I though he would be on the lecture circuit or something like that." 

"Jim did the lecture scene for a bit but he got bored with it. A mutual friend told me he was thinking about teaching and I offered him a job here on the condition that he got his Master's degree at Rainier. The rest is history, " the Dean explained with a faint smile. 

Two weeks later. 

James Ellison silently made his way across Rainier's campus. School started in less than two weeks and he wanted to go over the course material for the five classes he was teaching this semester. He stopped on the steps of Hargrove Hall. He could hear music blasting from the building. It sounds like drums with the occasional scream thrown in for good measure. He sighed and shook his head. Today's kids would listen to anything. 

The music got louder as he walked down the hallway and Ellison's jaw started to clench when he realized the noise was coming from his office. He walked into his office and felt his jaw hit the floor. His once clean, tidy office looked like a tornado had touched down. There was papers, moving creates, books, coffee cups everywhere. The walls that had been bare were covered with posters, masks and spears. A new desk and chair was pushed up against his and there was two new bookcases crammed full of books as well. Several plants sat on the window sill. A mini stereo system sat on top of the fridge. Standing in the middle of the room swaying to the music was a young man. 

"Excuse me," Ellison said loudly. The man didn't respond. He walked over and turned the stereo with a vicious twist. The silence was deafening. 

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my office?" Jim barked in most intimidating voice. 

"Hi. You must be Jim Ellison. I'm Doctor Blair Sandburg. I'm sharing your office this semester," Blair said cheerfully holding out his hand. Inwardly Blair was drooling Jim Ellison was eye candy. Ellison was six feet tall, tanned, with broad shoulders, well defined chest and long legs. He had light blue eyes, short brown hair and there was thin scar on his cheek. 

Ellison ignored the out stretched hand. "Really Chief?" Ellison looked Sandburg over. Blair was about five eight, with long brown curly hair that was slowly escaping his pony tail. He had two earings in his left ear. He had dark blue eyes and a hint of a five o'clock shadow. He had narrow shoulders and Jim could see the dark chest hairs peeking out of forest green shirt. All in all, Sandburg looked like a freshman and not a teacher. 

Blair dropped his hand when he realized that Jim wasn't going to shake it. " It's just for one semester tops, maybe two if they don't get the renovations done in time." Blair glanced around. "Sorry about the mess man, I'm in the middle of cleaning up." 

_It looked worse than this?_ Jim thought has he closed his eyes, _and I have to put up with this for one year? I think not._

Without a word, Jim Ellison turned around and marched out. Ten minutes later he was in the Dean's office. 

"Be reasonable Jim. You have plenty of space and it's not uncommon for teachers to share office space," Dean Wagner explained patiently. "I'm not about to insult the man and put him in a storage closet. It's for one, two semester tops before he's out of your hair." There was a note of finality in the Dean's voice. "You're just going to have to live with it. Blair's not that bad of a person once you get to know him." 

Ellison sighed knowing he was defeated. "What is he teaching by the way?" 

"Anthropology." 

Wisely Jim kept his face in neutral. 

The music was softly playing when Jim came back into his office for the second time. All the loose papers and coffee cups were gone and books were stuffed haphazardly into the bookcase. Blair was sitting at his desk typing on his laptop computer. 

"Hey man, you're back," Blair said stiffly, not looking up. "Janitor will be by in a bit to take the crates back to storage. I'm really sorry about the mess. I didn't know you coming in today otherwise I would have made sure that everything was tidy." 

"Look Chief, I'm sorry okay? No one told me I was sharing my office this semester and it was a kind of a shock to walk in and find you," Jim muttered as he sat down at his desk. He opened his briefcase and took out several papers. 

"Does that mean we can start over?" Blair said looking up hopefully. He stuck out his hand again. "Doctor Blair Sandburg." 

"Jim Ellison." Both men shook hands. 

The end 

Feedback is a good thing!! scarlet@cam.org 

* * *

End Into The Fire. 


End file.
